Jackie Kennedy’s pink suit is more than just an outfit — it’s a symbol of American history.
The two-piece set — sometimes described as “watermelon pink” or “raspberry pink” — was what the then-first lady was wearing on Nov. 22, 1963 — the fateful day her husband,President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas.
It was also the outfit she was photographed in next to Lyndon B. Johnson in the immediate aftermath of JFK’s death. “They actually had another dress laid out for her to put on and she refused,” historian Steve Gillon told PEOPLE in November 2022.
“She went out in her blood-stained suitand stood next to Lyndon Johnson. Despite these horrible circumstances, she was willing to stand for a photo because she understood what it meant for the nation to have continuity in government,” he said.
Gillon added: “She understood that she had a role to play in helping the nation transition to a new president.”
Natalie Portman, who wore a recreation of the suit while playing the book editor in the2016 biopicJackie, previouslyspoke to USA TODAYabout its significance, saying, “It’s crazy when clothes become symbols, and when you see something so recognizable and iconic. It tells a whole story, just the dress, itself. And then, of course, with the blood on it … [it] has the sort of history of America in it.”
Nov. 22 marks 60 years since JFK’s assassination, and Jackie’s blood-soaked suit still serves as a poignant reminder of the day’s devastation — even though it’s never been available for public viewing.
From the origin of the design to how it became one of the most important outfits in American history, here’s everything to know about Jackie Kennedy’s pink suit — including why it’s locked away until 2103.
JFK took an interest in Jackie Kennedy’s wardrobe choice for the occasion
“There are going to be all these rich, Republican women at that lunch wearing mink coats and diamond bracelets,” he reportedly told her,perVanity Fair. “And you’ve got to look as marvelous as any of them. Be simple — show these Texans what good taste really is.”
Jackie Kennedy had worn the suit before
President and Jacqueline Kennedy arrive at Dallass Love Field on November 22, 1963.Everett/Shutterstock
Everett/Shutterstock
Before selecting the suit for her trip to Texas with the president, Jackie had worn it at least six times before,according toTheNew York Times, and had even been photographed in it.
Jackie Kennedy was wearing the suit when JFK was shot
Getty
Jackie was wearing the pink suit, along with a matching pink pillbox hat, a pair of white gloves and a pair of stockings at the moment whenPresident Kennedy was shot and killedwhile riding in the back of an open-topped limousine alongside his wife.
Jackie covered his body with her own, as Lady Bird Johnson wouldlater describe in her diary. “As we ground to a halt — we were still the third car … I cast one last look over my shoulder and saw in the President’s car a bundle of pink, just like a drift of blossoms, lying in the back seat,” she wrote, adding, “It was Mrs. Kennedy lying over the President’s body.”
In doing so, Jackie’s perfect suit was left messy and bloodied. “Mrs. Kennedy’s dress was stained with blood,” Lady wrote. “One leg was almost entirely covered with it and her right glove was caked, it was caked with blood — her husband’s blood.”
Jackie Kennedy refused to take the suit off after the president was shot
Lyndon B. Johnson and Jackie Kennedy.Universal History Archive/Getty
Jackie remained in the suit from 12:30 p.m. CT, when JFK was shot, until the next morning, including during the swearing-in of President Johnson.
As Lady Bird recalled in her diary, she offered to get someone to help Jackie change, but the first lady refused. “And then, with almost an element of fierceness — if a person that gentle, that dignified, can be said to have such a quality — she said, ‘I want them to see what they have done to Jack,’ " she wrote.
The effect on Lady Bird — and the rest of the nation — was haunting. “Somehow, that was one of the most poignant sights — that immaculate woman, exquisitely dressed and caked in blood,” she added.
In the 2023 docuseriesJFK: One Day In America,a journalist who was present at the time reiterated Jackie’s insistence on staying in the blood-stained suit.
“Mrs. Kennedy came forward and I can see blood on her dress, where she cradled the President’s head in her lap and she said, ‘Let them see what they have done,’ ” he recalled.
Jackie Kennedy never had the suit cleaned
The day after the assassination, Jackie returned to the White House and finally removed the suit to bathe. PertheLos Angeles Times, her maid Providencia Paredes placed the outfit in a bag — but did not have it cleaned.
The suit was reportedly an approved Chanel copy
Bettmann
The store used fabrics, buttons and trim shipped directly from Chanel in Paris to recreate the look.
Natalie Portman was filmed in a recreation of the suit in 2016
Pablo Larrain/20th Century Fox/Kobal/Shutterstock
For 2016’sJackie, French costume designer Madeline Fontaine was tasked with recreating Jackie’s iconic ensemble for its star, Natalie Portman.
Fontainespoke toEntertainment Weeklyabout the process of getting the shade of pink just right.
“For the pink dress we made it as a copy of the one everybody knows,” she explained. “We had first to settle with Pablo and Stéphane Fontaine, the [director of photography], on the right color according to the choices of the different cameras (for the shooting and the continuity of the footage).”
The designer continued: “Then I made film tests of different colors to getthepink. And then made five of them. … We had to be convinced! We had to be sure to have this be as close as possible [to] the original one. We needed this to be as historically correct as possible.”
The result? Per Fontaine, “Impressive to see Natalie in it for the first time on set.”
The suit is still locked away at the National Archives
Today, the suit is kept at the National Archives and Records Administration’s College Park facility, where it is held in a custom-made, acid-free box with temperature and humidity control. Although it had been at the National Archives since 1964, it still legally belonged to Jackie’s daughter and surviving heir,Caroline Kennedy, until 2003, when a deed of gift was secured from Caroline — though it came with some stipulations.
Per Caroline’s request, the suit won’t be available for viewing until at least the year 2103, when, according to the National Archives, the Kennedy family will reconsider whether there will ever be any sort of public access.
“The family further desires to ensure that the materials never be subject to public display, research, or any other use that would in any way dishonor the memory of Mrs. Kennedy or President Kennedy, or cause any grief or suffering to members of their family,” Caroline’srequest read.
Jackie Kennedy’s matching pillbox and white gloves were lost in the fray
Jaqueline Kennedy arrives in Dallas on November 22, 1963.Cecil Stoughton/White House Photographs/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Cecil Stoughton/White House Photographs/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
In addition to Jackie’s pink suit, her shoes, handbag and stockings, which were reportedly “blood-covered and folded in a towel,” perThe New York Times,are also preserved at the National Archives.
The whereabouts of her famous white gloves and pink pillow box hat, however, are unknown. “The hat apparently goes to the Secret Service initially and the Secret Service turns it over to Mrs. Kennedy’s private secretary, and then it disappears. It has not been seen since,“A Cruel and Shockingact author Philip Shenontold CNNin 2013.
Two years earlier, however, theLos Angeles Timesposed a different theory, stating that the hat was last seen with her personal secretary, Mary Gallagher. In her 1969 memoirMy Life with Jacqueline Kennedy, Gallagher confirmed she had been in possession of the hat at some point while in the hospital with Jackie.
“While standing there I was handed Jackie’s pillbox hat and couldn’t help noticing the strands of her hair beneath the hat pin. I could almost visualize her yanking it from her head,” she wrote.
source: people.com
